If you’re getting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), it’s because your disability prevents you from going to work and earning enough to cover your expenses. However, you may want to give work a chance. It is possible that maybe if you just had a bit of time and knew that you wouldn’t lose your benefits, you could succeed at a job.

That’s why Social Security has made program rules and incentives that can help you get a job without having to worry that you’ll lose the benefits you need. For most persons who get SSDI, these work incentives function as a 3-stage process that begins when you get a job that pays more than the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit:

1. The Trial Work Period (TWP) lets you work and get benefits at the same time, no matter how much you make.
2. When the TWP ends, the 3-year Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) starts and lets you work and get benefits for every month that you earn less than the SGA limit ($1,620 in 2025, $2,700 if you’re blind).
3. For 5 years after you get your last SSDI cash benefits, Expedited Reinstatement (EXR) will let you quickly get back on SSDI if your income drops below the SGA limit and without you having to completely re-apply.

These 3 incentives mean that you can get a job and see how it goes. If it goes well, you’ll be in a better financial situation than before. If it doesn’t go well, you will be able to get SSDI and be in the same situation you were in before you tried working.

Trial Work Period (TWP)

Social Security allows every person on SSDI a 9-month Trial Work Period (TWP) to try working. During your TWP, you can work and earn any level of income (even if it is more than Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit — ($1,620 in 2025, $2,700 if you’re blind) and keep your full SSDI benefits.

Your TWP is 9 Trial Work months occurring within a 5-year window. Your 9 Trial Work months may occur consecutively (one right after another) or sporadically (not one right after another) within the 5-year window. The window stays open until you have used up all 9 Trial Work months. During your TWP, you will continue to get your full SSDI benefits, no matter how much you earn.

Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE)

Once you’ve used up all 9 Trial Work months, your Trial Work Period is over and your 3-year Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) begins.

When your gross monthly earnings are less than the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit ($1,620 per month in 2025; $2,700 if you’re blind), you will keep getting SSDI benefits.

During your EPE, the first time you earn over the SGA limit in a month, your 3-month Grace Period begins. During the Grace Period, you will keep getting SSDI cash benefits no matter how much you earn. After your Grace Period ends, your SSDI benefits will be $0 in any month that you earn above the SGA limit.

If you are not earning above the SGA limit when your 3-year Extended Period of Eligibility ends, you will continue to get SSDI benefits. If you are earning more than SGA, you will still be able to get back on SSDI if your income drops below the SGA limit. More about what happens after the EPE ends is discussed later in this article under Expedited Reinstatement.

Notes:

• It is always important to report any changes in work and income to Social Security right away to avoid overpayments.
• It is also important to report when your earnings are below the SGA level. Contact Social Security and ask that your benefits be "reinstated." If you don’t, you won't get SSDI benefits, even if your earnings are less than the SGA limit.

Expedited Reinstatement (EXR)

After you use up your Trial Work Period and Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE), your SSDI benefits stop if you are earning above the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit. Expedited Reinstatement (EXR) allows you to get up to 6 months of temporary SSDI cash benefits, if your income drops back below the SGA limit.

During those 6 months, Social Security will conduct a medical review to see if you still meet their definition of disability. If you do, your benefits can start again without you having to reapply. If you are not considered to be disabled, your SSDI benefits will stop. If you have questions about Expedited Reinstatement, talk to a Work Incentive Consultant.

Deductions

During your Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) and period of Expedited Reinstatement (EXR), there are some ways to lower your gross monthly earnings, so that Social Security won’t count everything you make. These are called “deductions.” Here we’ll talk about the most common deductions that can help you lower your gross monthly earnings below the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit, so that you can work and keep getting your SSDI benefits check.

Note: These deductions cannot be used during the Trial Work Period (TWP).

Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)

Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) are things you pay for yourself that are related to your disability and that you need to work. Social Security doesn’t count earned income that you use to pay for these expenses when they calculate your income. IRWEs include things like:

• Medication copays
• Adaptive equipment
• Vehicle modifications
• Personal care attendant costs
• Special transportation costs

Social Security must approve the items that you want counted as IRWEs. If the IRWEs are approved, Social Security will deduct these expenses from your income when they are calculating your SSI benefits or figuring out Substantial Gainful Activity. That makes it more likely that you will continue to get SSDI benefits. If you have any questions about IRWEs or about how to tell Social Security about them, talk with a Work Incentive Consultant.

Subsidies and Special Conditions

Subsidies and special conditions are supports you get on the job that result in you getting more pay than the actual value of the services you perform. A subsidy is support you get from your employer; special conditions are generally supplied by someone other than your employer, for example, a Vocational Rehabilitation agency.

Social Security considers subsidies and special conditions when they make an SGA decision. They only use earnings that represent the real value of the work you do to decide if your work is at the SGA limit. This is good for you because if Social Security decides that you have a subsidy or special conditions, you can earn more while still getting benefits.

Subsidies or special conditions may exist if:

• You get more supervision than other workers doing the same or a similar job for the same pay
• You have fewer or simpler tasks to complete than other workers doing the same job for the same pay, or
• You have a job coach or mentor who helps you perform some of your work.

If you think you get a subsidy, talk to Social Security about it. They may ask you to get a letter from your employer, so they can document that you get a subsidy. If you think special conditions may apply to you, talk about it with Social Security or your mentor/job coach to see what they need to have to give you credit for having special conditions.

Unincurred Business Expenses (Self-Employment)

Unincurred Business Expenses are contributions made by others to your self-employment business effort. Examples include things like:

• A friend working for free
• A government agency paying for some of your business expenses
• Someone giving you things of value — such as office space free of charge

Social Security deducts the value of any unincurred business expenses from your net income when deciding if you have reached the SGA limit for any given month. Social Security uses fair market value to assess the value of any unincurred business expenses.

Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)

A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) lets persons who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) save money for a work-related goal. Income that is put into a PASS does not count as earnings by SSI and the money you save is not counted as resources.

If you get SSDI benefits, it only helps you if you also get SSI benefits or if you would qualify for SSI benefits if you put some of your earnings into a PASS. For more information on Plans to Achieve Self-Support, click here.

Continued Payment - Section 301

Section 301 lets you continue to get SSDI benefits, even if you no longer meet Social Security’s criteria for being disabled, as long as you are participating in an approved Vocational Rehabilitation program that is expected to help you become self-supporting.

Programs and providers that are usually approved for Section 301 include:

• Ticket to Work providers
• Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration (AZRSA)
• Support services that use individualized written employment plans
• A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)
• An Individualized Education Program (IEP) (persons ages 18 – 21)

To find out if a specific provider or program is approved under Section 301, talk to a Work Incentive Consultant or visit your local Social Security office. You can also call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY).

If you’re getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI), it’s because your disability prevents you from going to work and earning enough to cover your expenses. However, you may want to give work a chance. It is possible that maybe if you just had a bit of time and knew that you wouldn’t lose your benefits, you could succeed at a job.

That’s why Social Security has made program rules and incentives that can help you do so without having to worry that you’ll lose the benefits you need. You can try out getting a job, earn some money, and even save up some money in the bank without losing your SSI benefits. Here we’ll explain how.

Earned Income Incentives

When SSI figures out how large a benefit to give you, they look at how much money you make. The Earned Income Exclusion means that SSI doesn’t count the first $65 of your earnings in a month. SSI also doesn’t count an additional $20 of general income, which could be earned income or unearned income, including some benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). After that, SSI only counts half of the rest of your earnings.

The bottom line: If you get a job, SSI counts less than half of your earnings when determining your SSI payment amount.

1619(a)

Generally, to qualify for SSI, you must have a disability that prevents you from working. However, after you have been on SSI for a while, you may find that you are able to do some work. If that happens, 1619(a) allows you to keep getting SSI benefits, even when you have earned income above the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit.

To qualify, you must:

• Have been eligible for SSI benefits for at least 1 month before you began working at the SGA level ($1,620 in 2025, $2,700 if you’re blind)
• Still be disabled
• Meet all other eligibility rules, including SSI’s resource limits ($2,000 if you’re single, $3,000 for couples)

You are single. You have been getting SSI benefits for 6 months and you just got a new part-time job. Even though you are now working and earning more than the SGA limit, 1619(a) means that you are not disqualified from continuing to get SSI benefits. Social Security applies the SSI formula to figure out your countable income:

Countable Earned Income Example:

Your Earned Income	$1,300
Minus the $20 General Exclusion	- $20
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Your Countable Income
SSI Benefit Calculation
SSI Maximum Benefit	$967.00
Minus Total Countable Income	-
Your SSI Benefit

Even with 1619(a), when your income goes above a certain level, your SSI benefits will go down to $0. However, you may still qualify for 1619(b), which is an incentive that lets you keep your Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) coverage, even though you no longer get SSI benefits. 1619(b) is discussed in more detail here.

Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE)

The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) helps students keep more of their SSI checks while they work and are in school. If you are a student under the age of 22, SSI won’t count any of your earnings when figuring out your SSI benefits, unless you make more than $2,350 per month.

There is a maximum exclusion of $9,460 per year in 2025. To read more about the Student Earned Income Exclusion, click here.

Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE)

Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) are things you pay for yourself that are related to your disability and that you need to work. Social Security doesn’t count earned income that you use to pay for these expenses when they are calculating your income. IRWEs include things like:

• Medication copays
• Adaptive equipment
• Vehicle modifications
• Personal care attendant costs
• Special transportation costs

To see a list of deductible and nondeductible IRWEs from Social Security’s Red Book, click here.

Social Security must approve the items that you want counted as IRWEs. If the IRWEs are approved, Social Security will deduct these expenses from your income when they are calculating your SSI benefits or figuring out the SGA level. If you have any questions about IRWEs or about how to tell Social Security about them, talk with a Work Incentive Consultant.

Blind Work Expenses (BWEs)

Blind Work Expenses (BWEs) can only be used by persons who get SSI benefits and who are blind. If you are blind, Social Security doesn’t count earned income that you use to pay for expenses when you work. BWEs include things like:

• Transportation costs to and from work
• Guide dog expenses
• Income taxes

Social Security must approve the items that you want counted as BWEs. If the BWEs are approved, Social Security will deduct these expenses from your income when they are figuring out your SSI benefits amount or the SGA limit. If you have any questions about BWEs or about how to tell Social Security about them, talk with a Work Incentive Consultant.

Property Essential to Self-Support (PESS)

Property Essential to Self-Support (PESS) is anything that you own and need to support yourself. Social Security does not count these things as resources when figuring out if you are eligible for SSI benefits. Three types of property can be excluded as PESS:

• Property that you use in a trade or business (for example, your inventory) or personal property you use for work as an employee (for example, tools or equipment)
• Up to $6,000 of the value of nonbusiness property that you use to produce something that helps with your daily living (for example, land that you use to produce vegetables that you eat)
• Up to $6,000 of the value of property if the property gives you a return of at least a 6% per year (for example, property you own and rent to someone else)

You must be using the property to support yourself or expect to start using it again within a reasonable period of time, usually 12 months.

Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)

A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) lets you save money for a work-related goal that will help you be more self-sufficient. Usually, your SSI benefits go down when you get income from other sources like a job or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). But with a PASS, Social Security does not count income or resources set aside in the PASS when figuring out your SSI eligibility or benefits amount. That means you can save up money and keep getting your SSI benefits at the same time.

You can use a PASS to:

• Help pay for the cost of school or training
• Start a business
• Pay for equipment, support services, and other expenses related to your goal

To set up a PASS, you must do the following:

• Be on SSI or become eligible for the SSI program as a result of an approved PASS application. (If you are not eligible for SSI benefits because of the limit on resources, you may be able to move those resources into a PASS and become eligible.)
• Have a source of income other than SSI (for example, SSDI cash benefits or wages from a job).
• Have a work goal that eventually will help you earn enough money to lower or get off Social Security disability benefits.
• Be able to write a plan that shows how saving a certain amount of money will let you reach your work goal. Social Security has staff called PASS Cadre who can help you write your PASS plan.
• Be under age 65. You may be able to set up a PASS if you are 65 or older, if you were getting SSI cash benefits based on disability or blindness in the month before your 65th birthday.

The PASS plan is about your work goal, what you want to achieve, and what you need to get there. After you write your PASS, you ask Social Security to approve it. Your plan must have a realistic goal that considers your abilities, experience, and educational background.

Once you have an approved PASS plan, you will need to open a separate bank account just for your PASS funds. You cannot put any money you get from SSI into your PASS account. Your SSI benefits should be used for basic expenses like food and housing. You must fund your PASS account with money from other sources, such as income from a job or money from a spouse or parent. You will use the money you have put into your PASS account to pay for approved expenses to reach your goal.

For more information about the PASS program see the DB101 article on PASS.

Continued Payment - Section 301

Section 301 lets you continue to get SSI benefits, even if you no longer meet Social Security’s criteria for a disability, as long as you are participating in an approved Vocational Rehabilitation program that is expected to help you become self-supporting.

Programs and providers that are usually approved for Section 301 include:

• Ticket to Work providers
• Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration (AZRSA)
• Support services that use individualized written employment plans
• A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)
• An Individualized Education Program (IEP) (persons ages 18 – 21)

To find out if a specific provider or program is approved under Section 301, talk to a Work Incentive Consultant or visit your local Social Security office. You can also call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY).

Expedited Reinstatement (EXR)

Expedited Reinstatement (EXR) allows your SSI benefits to start again, without a new application, if they stopped because of work. EXR can be used by persons who got SSI benefits in the past, but it is not very common because of the 1619(b) rules, which allow you to keep your SSI benefits.

To be eligible for EXR, you must request it within 5 years of the last month that you were last eligible for 1619(b). If you have questions about Expedited Reinstatement, talk to a Work Incentive Consultant.

If you get health care benefits like Medicare or Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) coverage, there are also incentives that make sure you continue to have good health coverage after you get a job.

Medicare

Many people with disabilities get Medicare health coverage, usually because they also get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). If your income goes up while you’re on SSDI, your benefits can go down, though the work incentives described earlier in this article can help you to gradually try out working without fear of suddenly losing your cash benefits. Likewise, you can gradually try out working without fear of suddenly losing your Medicare coverage, thanks to the incentives described here.

Continuation of Medicare Coverage

Once you become eligible for Medicare, you can continue getting Medicare coverage for at least 93 months (or 7 years and 9 months) after your SSDI Trial Work Period (TWP) ends, if you are still disabled under Social Security’s guidelines. The 93-month period starts the month after the last month of your TWP.

To learn more, read DB101’s article on Medicare or talk to a Work Incentive Consultant.

Medicare for Persons with Disabilities Who Work

If you are still working after your Continuation of Medicare Coverage period ends, you may be able to buy continued Medicare coverage. You are eligible to buy Medicare coverage if:

• You are under age 65
• You continue to be disabled
• Your Medicare stopped because of work

For more information about buying Medicare continuation coverage, visit Medicare’s website or call them at 1-800-633-4227 or 1- 877-486-2048 (TTY). The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also talk to a Work Incentive Consultant.

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)

Many people with low income get Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) health coverage. Some worry that if they make too much money or save up too much, they'll lose their health coverage. However, there are work incentives that mean that if you are getting AHCCCS now and get a job, you’ll still be able to get good health coverage.

AHCCCS Freedom to Work

If you have a disability, you may qualify for AHCCCS Freedom to Work if your income is $6,606 per month or less, depending on your situation and the types of income you have. AHCCCS Freedom to Work lets you keep your AHCCCS coverage by paying a small premium.

To qualify for AHCCCS Freedom to Work you must:

• Be age 16 – 65
• Be an Arizona resident
• Be a United States citizen or a qualified immigrant
• Be working and paying taxes
• Have a Social Security number or apply for one
  • To apply for a Social Security number, visit the U.S. Social Security Administration
  • Make a copy of the form submitted as confirmation that you have applied for a Social Security number
• Apply for potential income that may be available, such as unemployment, pension, and Social Security disability benefits
• Get Social Security disability or be considered blind or disabled by the Disability Determination Services Administration (DDSA)
• Not be eligible for any other AHCCCS program
• Have $6,606 in monthly income or less per month. Whether your income is low enough will depend on your situation and what types of income you have.

You must pay a monthly premium for AHCCCS Freedom to Work coverage. The premium is based on your income and household size, with a maximum premium of $35 per month.

AHCCCS Freedom to Work pays for things like visits to the doctor, hospital stays, medical equipment, home care services, and mental health services.

1619(b)

If you’re on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 1619(b) lets you keep your health care coverage through AHCCCS, even when your earnings are too high for SSI cash benefits. You can earn up to $56,455 a year and keep your AHCCCS coverage.

To qualify, you must:

• Have been eligible for SSI cash benefits for at least 1 month
• Would be eligible for cash benefits if it weren’t for your earnings
• Still be disabled
• Still meet all other eligibility rules, including the SSI resource limit ($2,000 if you’re single, $3,000 for couples)
• Need AHCCCS to work
• Have gross annual earned income that is below $56,455

If your gross earnings are higher than $56,455 you may still be eligible if you have:

• Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)
• Blind Work Expenses (BWEs)
• A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)
• Publicly funded attendant or personal care

To learn more, talk to a Work Incentive Consultant.

Subsidized Individual Coverage Through HealthCare.gov

If your income is too high to qualify for AHCCCS, you should be able to buy individual health coverage through HealthCare.gov. The government may help you pay for your monthly premium through tax credits. If your family's income is at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG), the government may also help you get a plan that has lower copayments and other expenses.

Note: There is no income limit for getting subsidies that help pay individual coverage premiums. (Before 2021, the limit was 400% of FPG.) To get subsidies, you still must meet other eligibility rules and the premium amount you pay depends on your income and your plan.

To learn more, read DB101's article on Buying Health Coverage on HealthCare.gov.